Zero tolerance for match-fixing
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
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UEFA emphasises its commitment to rid football of the scourge of match-fixing ─ described by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin as "a disease that attacks football’s very core.”
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UEFA is reinforcing its commitment to eliminate match-fixing from football.
As the UEFA working group on match-fixing met in Rome to discuss the issue, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin stressed his determination to rid the sport of what he called “a disease that attacks football’s very core.”
“One of my key missions as UEFA President is to step up the campaign to protect the integrity of our sport, and to stop the manipulation of matches, illegal betting and corruption,” he said.
“Match-fixing cannot and will not be tolerated, and those caught must be banned from football.”
Mr Čeferin stressed that UEFA and the football family could not act alone in the fight against match-fixing.
“We must also get the support and cooperation of government authorities and police forces across Europe,” he added.
UEFA is currently reinforcing its match-fixing operations with the creation of a new hub focussing on the protection of football, which will include the current disciplinary, anti-doping and integrity units.
The fourth meeting of the UEFA working group on match-fixing welcomed delegates from EUROPOL, the Council of Europe, the UK National Crime Authority, the UK Gambling Commission and the French and Italian police forces, as well as other representatives of law enforcement agencies and gambling authorities from throughout Europe.
UEFA highlighted the success of its UEFA EURO 2016 integrity programme, when no integrity issues were reported.
The programme included education, monitoring and cooperation with key stakeholders, while briefings were also given to the 24 participating teams and EURO referees.
UEFA’s betting fraud detection system monitors more than 30,000 UEFA and European domestic matches each year, and the meeting welcomed the recent Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision on KF Skënderbeu, which opens an important path for future match-fixing procedures.
The members of the working group also heard about the dangers currently facing European football clubs acquired by criminal organisations to launder money through betting activities in fixed football matches.